Spitz: American dream now a reality

Thursday

Shouaa Henry passed her naturalization test on the first try and will become an American citizen in September.

Sweetheart, September can't come soon enough for Shouaa Henry.

If you see her behind the counter at Sunnyside Liquors on the Ashland-Framingham line, or perhaps around Franklin, where she lives, she can tell you herself what's so special about going to Worcester in the early fall.

She'll probably call you "sweetheart," too.

And if she's not too busy, she might tell you why July 16 is a date she'll always remember.

It's worth your time to listen, particularly if you're looking for a gentle reminder about national pride.

"You (will) never know how much I am happy now" that the last hurdle in becoming an American has been cleared. She passed her naturalization test on the first try this month. The Sept. 29 swearing-in ceremony will make it official.

Because of her quest, Henry can name the two longest rivers in America (the Mississippi and the Missouri) and American Indian tribes. She can name the U.S. territories (Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands), the territory we bought from France in 1803 (the Louisiana Purchase), plus how many amendments the Constitution has (27).

"You have to keep all of them in your mind because you don't know which question is coming to you," she said.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer can ask any 10 of the 100 civics questions those who hope to become full-fledged Americans are given to study. You need six right, plus you have to show you can read and write a sentence in English.

She studied the language in high school in her native Syria, but the spoken words were a challenge when she arrived in Florida in 2002.

Not that she's shy about asking for help.

"If I don't know a word, I ask people."

And customers aren't shy about correcting her. Particularly those who understand how much mastering her new country's language means to the native Arabic speaker.

"When you live in American, (it) should be you learn this language."

She came to the United States because "everybody loves to come to this country. Believe me, it's a dream for everybody."

Also, "I had (a) little trouble with my husband there" in Syria.

The couple divorced, and she married Harold Henry five years ago.

"He's a very nice man," she said of her husband, whom she met when "I was working at White Hen" in Franklin "and he was always coming in."

Working at convenience stores also showed her an aspect of American life she likes a lot: lines.

We may not enjoy standing in line, but people here do usually wait their turn, and "I love it," she said. In Syria, customers are more likely to push their way to the front for service, said Henry.

"I love this country," not just for the small things, but for the big ideals.

"Everybody here has to follow the law, but you can do what you want.

"You can be in the newspaper. You can call the senator.

"You're free."

When asked if the process to become an American which, as in her case, usually takes years, is too difficult, she said she didn't have a problem with the procedure.

"It's a lot of paper, a lot of things you have to take to Immigration," but "it's not too hard. It just takes time."

And when asked what makes Americans so easy to spot when they travel to other countries, she offered this theory: "People from America respect themselves.

"It should be appreciated, this country, believe me."

She does miss a few things about Syria, most especially her two adult children who live there.

"I miss them all the time. But I talk to them every week, two or three times."

She has hopes and dreams for the future, if and when money and free time line up just right.

"I wish I could go everywhere, all the states, in America."

But for now, "I'm so happy" to be an American, she said.

(Julia Spitz can be reached at 508-626-3968 or jspitz@cnc.com. Check milforddailynews.com for the Spitz Bits blog.)

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